bullfrog

Hi everyone, I vaguely remember a discussion on these boards a while ago about what sort of polishes can be used on fiberglass boats. Certain types of polishes were a definate no-no because they contained ingredients that reacted with the fiberglass. I think that the main enemy was silicone but am not sure. I've done a search but can't find the thread, can anyone offer any thoughts as to what types of polish should be avoided? Cheers,

So why is it called a pig

Don't be ashamed of running a dry boat Mine has always been dry and always will be (unless we decide to have an overnight camp). I firmly believe that drinking whilst being in control of a boat are a definate no no. BUT...once home and the fish and boat are being cleaned I think beer, beer and more beer should be compulsory I love my beer. Always have and always will - but not whilst boating.

Can I also recommend that the small tool kit includes a good pair of stainless steel pliers, not the cheap stuff from Bunnings. After even a short time in the salt air, the crap pliers (& shifters) will become totally siezed and useless. Cheers

keep usl up to date. alex 49433[/snapback] Will do, Thanks

Many thanks Alex, much appreciated. I'll have a good look at them over the weekend. If we go ahead (which, based on my son's enthusiasm will be a definate!), I hope you won't mind the odd PM over the next few months! Cheers, Martin

Thanks for the replies guys (also thanks for the PM Hooky, I tried to reply but for some reason it couldn't reply to your address). The American site seems a good option for the plans, quite cheap - even free for a small one (hopefully costs won't run to $1,600 that you had Trouble!) I am quite handy with tools alexit, but to be honest, I want it to be an opportunity for my kids to say that they built something special for themselves. Even if it doesn't last very long I just want them to have fun constructing it. I'd be keen to chase up the company that sells plans for the 2 sheet 6mm ply canoe if you could find them. Thanks once again

Hi everyone, I'm thinking of building a wooden canoe as a winter project with the kids. Can anyone suggest a company which sells plans, and has anyone on the site ever built one? If so, any advice would be greatfully received. Cheers,

According to the news this morning, the super trawler Veronica is to be sold - possibly broken up for scrap This monstrosity was fortunately denied access to Australian waters. It could spend months at sea and has the dubious distiction of killing more fish than any other boat in history. Good riddance I say!!

Decided to take my son out as his rugby team had a bye, and what a great day we had! The weather was perfect and Appletree Bay was as busy as ever, but, with the help of another boater we managed to launch reasonably quickly. We decided to drift from Lion Island back to Patonga and on the first run managed a couple of undersized flatties. The second run was better with one keeper, and subsequent drifts produced three lovely flatties for my son plus one extra for me. He was very proud of himself and now has the fishing bug Look out for us soon, my son will be easy to spot - he will have a grin from ear to ear!

$170 for one dolly Lucky you didn't catch two

If I haven't used the boat for a while I'll top the tank up with premium to give the old fuel a bit of a boost, but usually I use regular unleaded.

That's very kind of you Mark, thanks for the offer. I actually called into bias today & picked up a two-part product in a small tin. I put it on tonight (quite easy really), and I just have to sand & polish it tomorrow. Thanks once again, Martin

Tried to drive on to the trailer today, but sadly the combination of a strong wind & tide caused me to miss my approach slightly and I hit the rear end near the number plate The result was a gouge in the fibreglass about an inch long and 3 cms wide (and deep enough to expose the fibres under the gelcoat). Can anyone recommend a product that will fill this crack? I only need a small amount of filler but the packs I've seen are too big and most of it will be wasted. Thank in advance, Martin

Where do you get it? (and how much)

For a further 5 points, what brand of beer is he drinking? I reckon by the shape of the bottle that it's VB

Thanks Guys. It wasn't as easy as I thought, must have part of the XP programme missing as I didn't get a pop up screen with a resize option. I e-mailed a copy of the picture to myself where I was able to make it smaller and then managed to save it as a seperate picture. It's on the general pictures forum if you would like to have a look at it. Cheers,

Just trying to put in a picture!

Great looking boat but don't catch too much in it (save some for me!) One question, is that a rego sticker just below the winch? Whilst many boat dealers still attach them to the front, I believe that it is now illegal in NSW. I think they have to be displayed at the rear end, next to the number plate. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks Ken, I've tried several times to post a photo but I always get a message back saying the photo is too large. Can you recommend a programme that can reduce piccie sizes? (I have tried to upload from 'My Photo's' in Windows XP, and, as you can guess I am computer illiterate!) Cheers,

One more thing (I've only done it once but I know people who do it regularly), don't forget to take the winch handle off & put it in the boot before driving up the ramp & parking the car.

A good place for practicing reversing with the trailer is at the Silverwater ramp (right under the Silverwater bridge). There's a huge car park there which is rarely used (except in winter where there may be a few soccer players), and there are not many people there to see you make a fool of yourself. A word of caution though, if you intend to launch at the ramp wait untill all river cats are well out of the way as their wash will cause problems. One simple trick which I have learned when reversing is to hold the steering wheel at the bottom. If you want the trailer to go to the right, move your hand to the right, same thing for the left. As has been said before, double check the bungs! I also make sure the engine support bracket is off but leave the engine up (don't want to scrape the skeg). Also, I always pull out the brake light plug from the car before immersing the trailer so the lights aren't operating in the cold water - never blown a bulb in three years. Happy boating!

Please bear in mind that in NSW you will need a licence to operate a VHF radio.

Might pop in to have a look at one. An extra deterant is always worthwhile & $80 isn't a big investment.

What I do is apply a thin bead of silicone around the hub cap to help stop water penetration. I'm on the original set of bearings after over three years so perhaps it has some merit.